Whimsy is the Spice...

Home from a bucket list cruise to Alaska, I sat down and finished the decoration on a quintet of ceramic fish. They'll be a gift to a friend, and I wanted them to be playful and fun.  

Interesting discovery: nail enamels have bright, tough colors and adhere well to glazed ceramics. I'm liking this for non-functional works. 

Each one has a title, and from the top:
"Damnit Harvey, you promised..."

"Does this color make my fins look fat?"

"Look, Dorothy has ruby flippers!"









"Look kid, it's like this..."

Lastly, "What did you call that drink?"

I enjoy humor in my work, puns, both visual and verbal, and can amuse myself for hours in art-play.

Post "Artum" Blues

The paintings are finished, packed in a box to be delivered today. Inventory list has been updated, photographs taken.  So, why am I feeling so strange?  Is this like the depression that occurs after giving birth?  The pressure is off, I should be able to relax, but I find myself restless and out of sorts. 

I'll take a few days to clean up the house and the art mess (well maybe more than a few - I've been just avoiding things for almost two months).  The opening is next week, and then... I'll have to find another mountain to climb. 

The work continues...

It's been a wild trip; painting for this show. I'm almost at the "20" point, and can see that light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, these are in the "resting" stage, that is, the content and overall composition are set, but there are going to be some changes. Colors, lines, & shapes may change, especially when they are all up. The overall impact of the whole group may influence what happens.  I can't say what that will be yet.  




It's interesting, because each of these pieces has invoked the emotion they portray while I'm painting, or it triggers memories that I'd forgotten.  I can honestly say that there have been copious tears. And smiles. 







Each day brings me closer. Part of me can't believe that I'm managing to come up with the ideas, the images... and then translate them to paint. I am grateful for the opportunity, and for the incredible support I've had along this path.  The whole process is healing. I've gone whole days without tears, and I am looking forward more than looking back. Not always, but I can feel the tide is turning for me.  I believe that this is the gift that Jim has given me, the chance to bloom again. He is somewhere out there, with a big grin on his face, watching out for me. 

Working on a Show!

Well, I've done it now... entered a piece into a juried show, and it was accepted.  the show consists of 20 artists (more or less) who will put together 20-25 pieces on a theme of their choice. I have to say, small pieces, they're 8"x8", so not as bad as one might think. However, they have to be delivered in just over a month. Whoopsie.  So, I'm painting like a mad woman.  this came about because I was talking to my therapist (a bereavement counselor) about not being able to paint. 

It's been a long time... from before Jim died. I've cleaned the studio, bought art supplies, but just couldn't bring myself to get working. The therapist reminded me that grief was really hard work, and that it can eat all those creative juices. She also told me that the most famous artists painted their grief, rage, and other emotions... and those paintings are now hanging in museums and galleries all over the world.  Listening to her, something clicked, and the next morning, I dragged my sketch pad to bed, moved the cats over, and mapped out my grief. 

So, I'm painting my grief. It's different from anything I've ever done before, and I'm living the emotions that I'm painting, but this might be the most powerful group of works I've ever done. At the least, it's therapy, and at best, something that will reach out and connect with others.  So, here are a few of them, with the caveat that they might go through some changes before the show.  Just sayin'.

Growing My Life - Moving Forward

Growing my life: Older, slightly wiser, I've come to realize that what I want in my life is not youthfulness but usefulness.  Now that I am alone again, without my beloved partner, I must rediscover my path.

I am an artist, a gardener and love to cook. Somehow, I would blend the three things into a place that allows me to create and nurture art to share, in a garden setting. I visualize art that can be touched, climbed on, used to make noises or music. Gardens should be accessible to everyone, to pick, touch, roll around in and whenever possible, to taste and eat as well. Can we grow vegetables and herbs in the middle of playgrounds and parks?  What about hills of low growing herbs to roll down and run over?  Pole bean forts and sunflowers amidst wind harps: that’s what I’d like to grow.  A project for artists: older and retired and youngsters with nimble hearts and hands. 

I could live in an urban area, if I had access to a community garden.